Life in the Danger Zone

by Patricia B Tighe

  Now Rose stood beside her table, talking to her grandparents. I tensed, getting ready to move if she left the restaurant without saying hi.

  Alexis stuck her face in front of me. “Don’t you think so, Bumpkin Pumpkin?”

  Wait. What? They were so not going to call me by my toddler nickname.

  Sophie snorted again.

  “Second point to me,” Alexis said.

  “Don’t call me that, and get out of my face,” I said, pushing her back to her seat.

  “Why? Afraid you won’t be able to see Rose?” Alexis asked in her most annoying tone.

  Involuntarily, I looked back at Rose still chatting away. Great. Way to show Alex she’s right, you idiot. “What’re you talking about?”

  “Nice try,” Sophie said, and then sipped her hot tea.

  “Well,” Alexis said, lacing her fingers together and resting them on the tablecloth, “I was just mentioning how everyone is pairing up. Dad has the Flirty Lady—”

  “Cynthia,” Sophie said.

  “—Sophie has Jacques, and you have Rose.”

  “It’s not like that,” I said.

  She ignored me. “I’m thinking about asking our cabin steward if he’s available for a hookup.”

  Sophie snorted again. Was there something in her tea?

  “Yay,” Alexis said. “Point three. You’d better hurry up, Bumpkin—”

  “Stop calling me that.”

  “She’s looking at us.”

  My head swiveled back. Rose lifted her hand in a quick wave and headed out of the restaurant. I hopped up, almost knocking over my chair.

  Alexis laughed. “Make wise—”

  “Shut up,” I said and wound my way between the tables, hoping a sudden roll of the ship wouldn’t send me stumbling. But I made it out into the reception desk area with its lighted glass sculpture without landing on my butt.

  Rose stood as rock solid as a statue beside the sculpture—amazing since she wore high heels—a slight smile curving her lips. She seemed different, but I wasn’t sure why. She had on a white blouse with tiny sleeves and a black skirt that hit midthigh. But that wasn’t it. I’d seen her in a dress last night. No, it was elusive, like a tractor beam pulling me in. “Hi,” she said. “Have a good dinner?”

  “Yeah.” I stopped a foot and a half away because I didn’t trust myself not to touch her. “You?”

  She nodded, and then nervously ran her fingers through her hair. Ah, there was the difference. Two light blond strips that hadn’t been there this morning framed her face. But even though they were pretty, they didn’t account for this weird tugging sensation. I gave in and stepped closer. “Your hair looks nice.”

  She let out a breath, almost like she was relieved or something. “Thanks. I was just about to go to the forward deck. You want to come? Or do you want to talk some other time?” She gazed over at a display case against the wall, but I was pretty sure she wasn’t seeing it.

  “No, now.” She looked back, and I smiled. “Wherever you want to go.”

  Her face lit up, eyes glowing gold, and it was all I could do not to yank her against me and kiss her. Geez. I needed to chill big time. “This way,” she said.

  I followed her out the door and up the dimly lit stairs toward the café, which was closed. We walked around it into a blast of air so fierce it rocked me backward. The roar of waves crashing as the ship sliced through the water made me want to cover my ears, but I couldn’t. Not if I wanted to hang on. I grabbed the railing and headed after Rose, who strode off like she walked on ships every damn day. Her skirt whipped around in back, showing way more leg than she probably realized. I kept my focus on those legs instead of the churning sea, which was making me kind of queasy. Yeah, that was totally the reason for staring.

  When we made it to the front of the ship, the force of the wind tapered off, and it was easier to walk. We edged by a few lounge chairs and a huge mast stretching up into the sky before going to the front railing. Down below, gray hulks of heavy ship equipment lurked like something from a sci-fi movie. Off in the distance, moonlight glittered on the water. I looked over at Rose, who was propped against the rail watching me.

  “What do you think?” she asked.

  That I’m glad I’m here with you. “It’s really cool.”

  She gripped the rail in both hands, leaned back to the full extent of her arms, and gazed upward. “I love it out here. I’ve been on several cruises with my family, and this has always been my favorite part. The night sky, the stars, the huge expanse of ocean. It makes you feel really small, you know?”

  “Yeah.” I rested my ribcage against the rail. “What else do you love?”

  Her lips parted, and for a long moment, she said nothing. “You mean on this ship?”

  “No. The other day you said you liked to read and watch old movies, right?”

  She straightened. “You were listening?”

  I smiled. “I’m an eavesdropping master. Haven’t you already realized that?”

  Her talented eyebrow shot up. “Apparently not.”

  “Well, anyway. Those are things you do at home. What do you like to do with your friends?”

  She looked at the lower deck. “We just hang out at each other’s houses. Go to movies or restaurants. None of us is into sports or anything, except Claire, who loves to go bowling, and Lindsey and I only go because Claire likes it. Lindsey’s in drama, and sometimes we’ll go to one of her shows …” She turned back to me and wrinkled her nose. “Sounds pretty boring, doesn’t it?”

  “Not really. It sounds like y’all are good friends.”

  “Yeah, we are. But what about you? What do you like to do?”

  A little jolt of surprise hit me. Which was stupid, because of course she was going to ask questions about me. It had just been a long time since I’d let anybody in, other than my cousins. I cleared my throat. “I used to swim year-round—with school and summer teams. But this summer I decided to live with Alexis and Sophie in Indianapolis. So, I swim a couple times a week at the Y, but that’s it.”

  I knew from her look she wanted to know why I wasn’t living at home in Houston, but she didn’t ask. Instead, she was quiet for about thirty seconds, which felt like five minutes. I almost gave in and spilled about all the crap going on with my parents, but I just wasn’t ready to go there. “Is that hard?” she finally asked. “Not being on a team right now?”

  I shrugged. “It’s not bad. It’s kind of nice to be lazy and just chill.”

  “When you were home, though, what did you and your friends like to do?”

  “Most of them are swimmers, so we’d see each other a lot. They like to party, but …” Oh, great. Where was I going with this? I was about to sound like a pompous jerk.

  She smiled, and I couldn’t help it; I moved a little closer. “But?” she asked.

  I ran one hand back and forth across the railing. “I used to like to party, but I’m kinda over it.” Geez, this was depressing. I really needed to get the subject away from me and back to her.

  A family of four wandered onto the deck nearby, and the kids, who looked like they were about eight and ten, started shouting about how bright the moon was. Rose leaned toward me. “You want to go over there?” she whispered, pointing behind me.

  “Sure.” We wandered away slowly, and I really wished I could hold her hand. That tugging sensation hadn’t left me. It seemed like nothing would be right until I gave in to it. But it was all still too soon.

  We reached the side of the ship and leaned our elbows on the railing, and then she scooted closer until only a hair’s breadth remained between our arms. Electricity shot through me. Warmth radiated from my elbow to my biceps. I forced myself not to move, to let her figure out if she wanted to get even closer or not.

  But she just stared down at the water. I needed to focus on words, not touches. “So, Rose Mulligan, we’re getting really good at this whole leaning our elbows on railings
thing.”

  She laughed, the wind whipping her hair out behind her. “Yes, Sam I’m-So-Embarrassed-Because-I-Don’t-Know-Your-Last-Name, we are.”

  I laughed too. “It’s Briggs. And I don’t know how you could’ve missed it. There are four of us here after all.”

  “I was pretty sure y’all just went by your first names. You know, like Beyonce or Adele.”

  “Ha. Good one, Mulligan. Now you have to call me by my last name, so I know you haven’t forgotten it.”

  “If I have to.”

  “If I have to, Briggs,” I said.

  She laughed, and finally it was that rolling infectious sound I’d been missing. The one that made me laugh too. “So, Mulligan, since I know a little about what you like, now tell me what you hate.”

  With absolutely no hesitation she said, “Macaroni and cheese.”

  I reared back. “What? Are you kidding me? That’s … that’s un-American.”

  “It’s also slimy and gross.”

  I put a hand on my forehead. “I don’t know what to say. I’m stunned. This changes everything. I’m not sure I can lean my elbows on a railing next to you anymore.”

  She giggled. “That is your right. But I have a question for you, Briggs.”

  “Yeah?”

  “What do you hate?”

  Listening to my parents’ endless arguments. “Mushrooms.”

  She waved a hand. “That’s no good. Everybody hates mushrooms.”

  “No, they don’t. The entire Briggs family thinks I’m a changeling because I hate mushrooms. And since when do you get to tell me my answers aren’t good enough?”

  She scratched her cheek, her entire hand hiding her mouth.

  Across the deck, the family with the kids meandered away.

  “Are you laughing at me?” I asked, trying to sound mad.

  She lowered her hand. “Of course not. This is a serious subject.” But her voice was full of laughter.

  “You’re damn right it is. No one likes to be called a changeling.”

  “Or Bumpkin Pumpkin.”

  For two full seconds, I froze. My stupid cousins. “No, they didn’t.”

  Laughter exploded from Rose, and she doubled over.

  “My cousins told you my nickname from when I was little?”

  She raised her index finger.

  “Just one of them?”

  “Yes,” she said shakily.

  “Alexis then. She is so dead.”

  Rose straightened and wiped under her eyes with a fingertip. “It was Sophie actually.”

  I shook my head and grabbed the railing. “This is so wrong. Something is wrong with the world. First, you don’t like mac and cheese. Then I find out my sweetest cousin is telling family secrets.”

  She actually patted my shoulder. Don’t pat it. Hold on to it. So I can hold you. “It’ll be okay,” she said. “Just take it one day at a time.”

  I wasn’t really sure what I was doing because my brain was shutting down. I drew her hand off my shoulder and held it between my palms. Warm, soft skin. “You’re going to have to help me make sense of it all,” I said, my smile falling away.

  She went very still. “How am I supposed to do that?”

  I’d been kidding around. And then all of a sudden, I wasn’t. I don’t know what changed. The moonlight had turned her hair silver and her eyes dark. I moved in close, our clasped hands the only buffer between our bodies. I shouldn’t do this. I should let go of her and back off. But despite the crashing of the waves and the wind careening around us, I could’ve sworn I felt her breath on my face. I had to kiss her. “We can think of something,” I said, my voice suddenly hoarse.

  I lifted a hand and ran my fingertips across the smooth skin of her cheek. Rose let out a gasp so quiet I thought it wasn’t real. But if it was real, did that mean she wanted me to stop? I waited, my fingers still lightly touching her. And finally, finally, she lifted her face to mine. With my blood pounding erratically in my head like a bass line, I began my descent.

  A deep familiar chuckle rolled through the air, breaking my concentration. I stopped. Ignore it. Right. Where was I? But the laugh sounded again. I couldn’t help it. I lifted my head. Across the deck, on the exact opposite side, my uncle was wrapped in the arms of the Flirty Lady. Everything inside me turned to ice. I let my hands fall away from Rose and stepped back.

  “Is that your uncle?” she whispered.

  “Yeah. We better go inside.”

  “Okay.”

  We headed back along the side of the ship. I clutched the railing as we went, wishing I was holding Rose’s hand instead. But I couldn’t. Because I was acting exactly like my uncle—starting something I had no business trying to finish. And that was something I definitely hated.

  Fourteen

  Rose

  The door to the foyer clunked shut behind us. Then began the longest ten seconds of silence in memory. Sam had gone from laughing and flirting to withdrawn and stone-faced in the space of three minutes. And he’d been about to kiss me! I was reading the signs right. I knew I was.

  Now, the only thing that kept him from looking like an automaton was the fact that he was chewing on the inside of his cheek. He glanced over, not meeting my eyes. “Let’s go see what Sophie and Alexis are up to.” He started off without waiting for my answer.

  What the—? I didn’t need this. A guy who ran hot and cold was sure to mess with my head. And without Lindsey or Claire around to be sounding boards, I couldn’t let that happen. Probably best if I went back to my room. Should I say good night? Forget it. He’d left, expecting me to follow. Irritation rushed in, and I exhaled loudly.

  Already ten yards away, Sam stopped and wheeled around. “You coming?”

  For half a second, there was vulnerability in his eyes. Almost like he was begging me to come with him. But then the robot was back, waiting patiently for my answer. All right. I needed more time to think about what had happened on deck because I was pretty sure it wasn’t my fault. Even though my natural tendency was to assume that it was. I’d give him another thirty minutes to thaw out, and if nothing changed, I was leaving. “Yup,” I said.

  He waited until I reached him and then took off again with his long strides. I almost laughed out loud. His uncle appearing on deck with that woman clearly made Sam mad, but he was turning it into an extreme sport. There must be more to all this. Something in his family history that was making it such a big deal. Would he ever tell me what? Ha. Why should he, Rose? You barely know each other.

  I followed him into the lounge where the piano lady was once again holding court. And in their usual back corner sat Alexis and Sophie with Jacques and Marie. I almost turned around and walked out. I wasn’t in the mood to watch all the French maneuvering. How I wished Lindsey were here. She’d know just how to deal with Marie. Of course, it probably wouldn’t be very nice, so I guessed I shouldn’t wish for it. But, oh well.

  Alexis smiled when she saw us. “Guys, come here. Help me convince Sophie to have a birthday party tomorrow night.”

  “Leave me out of it,” Sam said, pulling two chairs over for us to join them. He plopped into the one he set next to Alexis and slunk down in his seat.

  I scooted my chair up to the cocktail table. I was between Sam and Marie; the others sat on a low couch. Marie gave me a bored look and then spoke to Alexis. “A party is nice.”

  Yay, this was going to be fun. Mr. Grumpy on one side and Miss I’ll-Do-Anything-to-Ignore-You on the other. Sophie was staring into her mostly empty glass, her lips twisting to one side.

  “You don’t want a party?” I asked her.

  She set the glass on the table. “I don’t know. I don’t want to make a big deal of my birthday.”

  Jacques ran his hand along her wrist and up her forearm, where he left it. “You should. But if you want, we can keep the party small.”

  She smiled at him as Alexis said, “That’s right. A small party.” S
he moved a finger in a circle. “With just us, and maybe our parental units. They’ll probably want to stop by for cake.”

  Sophie gave her a dismayed look. “Cake? Who said anything about cake? You’re not going to bother the kitchen staff with this, are you?”

  Alexis grinned. “No worries. I already have.”

  “Aww, Alex,” Sophie said. “Why’d you have to do that?”

  “Because you don’t turn eighteen every day. We should celebrate.”

  Jacques nudged Sophie. “She is right.”

  Sophie leaned back against the couch and sighed. I was sure it wasn’t an accident that she was also pressed against Jacques’s side.

  “Hurray,” Alexis said. “I know that sigh. We shall have cake!”

  “Cake?” a voice asked from behind me. Nick appeared and sat beside Jacques on the couch. “When? That’s awesome.”

  Why did I feel like cringing? He was just an obnoxious middle schooler. I shouldn’t think such mean thoughts about the kid, but I really wished he hadn’t shown up.

  “Oh, Rose,” he said, one of those looks in his eyes. “I just found out someone lost an expensive watch. Did you steal that too?” he asked, and then guffawed.

  Everyone’s eyes turned to me, and heat spread up my neck. I fought the urge to tear out of the lounge. I dug my fingers down the side of the seat cushion and held on. Maybe no one would mind if I choked him out first.

  “Dude,” Sam said, “give it a rest.”

  “Hey,” Nick said, still chuckling, “what’s the deal? We all know she stole that bracelet.”

  Little jerk. Seemed like he’d already forgotten about suspecting Jacques earlier.

  Marie flicked her fingers at Nick like she was dismissing him from class. “Go play wis toys.”

  Whoa. Marie was defending me? Things were getting weirder and weirder.